Snowboarding Daytrip in Sierra Nevada, Spain

If there is one sport that I would take up professionally and make part of my lifestyle, it would be snowboarding. Ever since I first tried it in Andorra in 2016, I became hooked. Since I was staying in Granada (Southern Spain), I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. And you shouldn’t either.

Getting There

It’s really simple. In order to get to the bus station in Granada, take the SN1 bus opposite the cathedral in Granada at 14 Gran Via for 25 minutes. It’s €1.20 for a single ticket.

When you arrive at la Estación de Autobuses, buy your ticket from one of the machines or at the Alsa counter. From Monday to Friday, buses from Granada to Sierra Nevada leave at either 8am, 10am or 5pm. For Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, there is also an extra bus at 3pm.

From Monday to Friday, buses from Sierra Nevada to Granada leave at 9am, 4pm or 6.30pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, there’s an extra bus at 1pm.

The journey takes around 50 minutes and costs €5 one way. I would recommend taking the 8am bus for a full day of skiing or snowboarding. We returned at 4pm because the cable car to the slopes closes at 5pm. Although, I later realised that you can ski or snowboard down to the bottom. But there is a sign that indicates this is for experts only.

Slopes

The ski season starts in early December and normally finishes around the end of April.

The slopes are colour coded for difficulty. Green is for beginners. The blue is intermediate. Red is difficult and black is very difficult.

It was really sunny and quite icy when we visited. Tip: bring a snood and suncream to protect your face against windburn and sunburn.

Costs

A one day forfeit ticket is €45/47 for low season/high season which gives you full access to the slopes and cable car in the ski resort. Two days cost €86/93, three days cost €125/133 and a whole week is €242/259.

There are different rental shops, so shop around first to find the cheapest gear. I paid €15 for the snowboarding equipment, €6 for a helmet and €5 for gloves. If you need more gear, you will pay around €5 for goggles and €10 each for jacket and trousers.

In total, I spent about €90 for the day including transport, equipment and food.

Lessons are also available for newbies. Prices range from €39 to €48 per hour, depending on the company. Tip: It’s cheaper to do a lesson in groups.

There’s no doubt that skiing and snowboarding are expensive hobbies. It puts a lot of people off doing it. It shouldn’t though. We choose how we spend our money, whether it’s on new clothes or an unforgettable experience.

I know, I feel so lucky to have done it! Yes lessons are available on the slopes for newbies from different companies in the ski rental shops – i’ll have to add this to the post, thanks! What is cross-country skiing?!

Becky

February 15, 2017 at 5:17 pm

My friend used to live in Spain and we visited Sierra Nevada but with two young boys we never did anything adventurous. I have done snowboarding once and fell over a lot so maybe it is time to try it again!

Wow, this looks amazing. I just went skiing for the first time in my life in Sweden and it was SO PACKED! Your pictures are just snow and mountains, it must have way fewer people, probably because Spain doesn’t come to mind when you think of skiing. Worth considering for my next skiing season.

I have never been to Sweden, where did you go skiing there? Yeah there wasn’t as many people as other ski resorts but I think it’s also because it was a weekday. Definitely think about it, it’s beautiful and cheaper than most other ski resorts in Europe.

I know right?! It doesn’t come to mind when thinking of things to do in Southern Spain. Wow, that will be incredible. I’ve followed you on instagram, hope to see pictures of the snowy mountains in Japan. Which ones are you going to? I thought it would be very expensive to do it there!

I never think snow capped mountains when I think of Spain. Interesting to know the country is so versatile. You can go from summer to winter in the same country. It’s been years since I did anything this adventurous. Certainly something to experience.

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Welcome to Journey with Chloe!
My name is Chloe and I'm a Northern Irish travel and mindfulness blogger. On Journey with Chloe, I share travel tips and experiences as well as advice on veganism, health and mindfulness to inspire your own inner and outer journey.